


Broken

by stranger_things123



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-08 10:25:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19105231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stranger_things123/pseuds/stranger_things123
Summary: Billy Hargrove's life changes when a familiar face enters Hawkins. And the realisation that Billy is more than he seems shakes Steve Harrington to his core.Involves Billy's life in California and a fictional telling of what happened to make them leave Hawkins.





	1. Chapter 1

Max’s POV

It was just a normal day. If normal means anything anymore. The sun rose, I got changed. I waited for Billy to retreat out of his room, he drove me to school. I met Lucas, he kissed me on the cheek. I met the others, they hugged me. We talked about games and tried to forget the terrors of the Upside Down.

It was just a normal day.

Until I saw her.

I saw her walk through the doors to the hallway, and my face suddenly weighed a ton. I knew why she was here, and I felt the tears begin to gather. An idle drop of salt water spilled from my eye, the sound of it falling to the floor was louder than the most deafening scream. I turned my head to Billy, who’s body grew still with each passing moment he watched her come closer. Disbelief shadowed his face and denial awoke in him. The anger that usually tormented him was nowhere to be seen - instead replaced with unimaginable pain. And he fell. His screams drew eyes but he did not falter. Tears spilled so strongly it was if he would flood the place. Her arms gathered him up, he broke more. A day he had been hoping would never come, had. His worst nightmare had come true, and it was all my fault.

 

I stood there for a while. I watched Billy leave with her, I watched the janitor mop up his pain, I watched the students drift off - unaware of what had led to that moment, seeing nothing but weakness where moments ago only anger could be seen. I stood there while Steve shook me, I heard their questions enter my ears, but I was still. I heard their voices grow louder with frustration. I heard more footsteps, the sound of more and more peers gathering around me with questions. I soon heard my own footsteps, robotic and loud, still yet so quick. I heard them speed into a run, I was detached from my actions but being there was unbearable. I ran and I ran, until I found her, holding him while he screamed. I stared and watched him look up. The anger he held against me vanishing, for there was no anger left. There was nothing left. He was just broken. He was empty.

I left an hour later. He was dry and no more tears could fall, but he was still sobbing, still shaking. I couldn’t speak, but I knew he felt my words. ‘I’m Sorry’ echoing in his ears like clockwork, he had heard it before. He knew I meant it now.

I found myself back at my house, my face dry with salt. The Party sat by my front door and approached me as I tried to get it. They fought me, I didn’t fight back. I was too tired.

“Max, what happened?” Steves' voice sounded concerning.

“Why the fuck is Billy upset?” Lucas' voice sounded mad as if Billy had no business being broken. Anger grew within me. And the words I could not find before finally scratched my tongue.

“What!? Fuck you!” I screamed. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I kicked. “You know nothing about what has happened to him” I cried. “You know nothing about what has happened to me!” I punched.

Steve held me back. But I kept trying. Tiredness poured over me once more and I slumped to my room. Falling down on my pillow that would soon be wet as rain. I wept and wept. I wept with no tears left. I wept with no energy left. I wept in my sleep. I awoke to the Party still over me.

“Max.” Steve began. “We don’t want to intrude but we had no idea what is going on. Who was that girl?” - “We are so sorry for what has happened, even if we don’t know what it is.”

“Just tell us wha-”

“Stop.” I interrupted.  
“Just stop.”  
“She’s our friend. She comes bearing bad news. I’m sorry that you had to see the results of that. But please just let us grieve.”

“Grieve?” Mike’s eyes grew wider.

“He is dead. That’s why she’s here. And it’s my f-fault.”

Steve tried to debate me but was interrupted by Billy storming into the room. His face not angry but broken. And he ran towards me. The Party tried to push him away, thinking he was coming to hurt me. But he fought them off, finding his way towards me. He brought his arms around me, and for the first time in a long time, I couldn’t feel any passion. The torch that had kept him going for so long had been blown out. And I could feel he was saying Goodbye.

“I’m not letting you go yet. Life will go on without him. We will survive, you will survive.” I declared to Billy. 

“No. No, it won’t Max.” His voice was quiet. “I have nothing left. I just wanted you to know I love you.” He stood up and began to leave.

“I can’t lose you too.”

“You lost me long ago.”

And then the room was quiet.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve’s POV.

It had been three days since the incident. Max hadn’t left her house since then, and Billy was nowhere to be seen. Not that he cared. No matter what had gone wrong, he still couldn’t get the image of Billy he had gotten used to out of his head. The Bully, the angry lunatic. He couldn’t imagine Max defending him, crying for him, but yet she was. The boys and Jane had grown increasingly worried about her since that day, but he demanded they give her space. He decided, however, to go visit her himself. She didn’t have to talk, but he had to make sure she was at least breathing.

He knocked on the door of the Hargrove residence only to be greeted by the same woman that had caused all the commotion days before. 

“Who are you?” She muttered.

“Steve -” I held out my hand but she just looked at it and stayed still. “Um, I’m here to see Max.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“What?” I said, angry confusion altering my tone.

“No. She is not in a place to see anyone, let alone some weird teenager. What even are you? Some creep.”

“What the fuck - no! I’m her friend. Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Clara - and for your information, I’m basically her fucking family so you can calm your tone.”

“Look -” I began, “I’m sorry for yelling but this whole situation is hella confusing and I just want some clarification. Please just explain.”.

“I can only say so much. But sure, come in. It’s not like those hermits will come out of their rooms anyway.”

We sat there silently for a while before she began her piece.

“My brother died seven days ago. He’d been in a Coma for about nine months at that point, and his heart just gave out. To say him and Billy were close would be an understatement, and of course, that meant Max became close to him too. I knew he was never going to wake up when he first got to the hospital - I’ve done my grieving. Billy could never accept it, it was just when I told him three days ago that it finally hit him. He doesn’t know what to do anymore. All those people have tried to break him, I worry this will actually do it.”.

I tried not to dwell on the comment that many people had tried to hurt Billy - it was a confusing proclamation, especially if that hurt wasn’t a response to Billy being a dick first. I needed other questions answered though, so I pushed that thought to the back of my head. 

“Max said it was her fault, why did she say that?”

“That’s not my story to tell. And you’ll never get it out of them. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” I replied, “Can you at least - and I’m sorry if it’s rude to ask - how did your brother get hurt?”

“A man beat him to a pulp. He was braindead before they even got him to the ambulance, but they kept him on life support regardless.”

“I’m so sorry” I still couldn’t understand how Billy got caught up in this, but I was heartbroken for Clara. “What was his name?”

“Francis.”

I heard a door open and suddenly Max was in the living room, towel wrapped around her like a safety net.

“He’s home tomorrow. We need to get Billy up.”

“It’s time for you to go.” Clara directed at me.

“What - I can help”

“Not with this - out.”

Right before I left I heard opened Billy's door and say “Get up, he’s back soon.”


	3. Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Contains Homophobic speech and abusive scenes.

Billies POV.

“Get up, he’s back soon.”

“No,” I said defiantly, burring my head in my wet covers trying to block the sound of Clara's voice from my ears.

“Yes.” She replied - being her usual demanding self.

“I don’t give a shit anymore”. I didn’t. The only reason I ever dragged myself off the hospital after he would break me was to ensure a chance of seeing Francis again, but that is gone. And I’m empty, and fuck him and fuck life. Let him kill me.

“I don’t care about what you care about. Get the fuck up. If you won’t let me report this shit you have to let me at least try to help.”

“Report what?”

“Look, whatever has happened here before is hard, I get it. But I’m here now. And you're going to get the fuck up, drink a shit ton of water, take a long ass shower, and eat a big ass meal. Understand?”

“Yes whatever”. I know I can’t evade her forever, so I got up and did as she said. And next I knew, I was going to bed, awaiting breakfast in the morning. When he would be back, and I would have to go back to that hell hole of a high school.

 

The next day came and I rehearsed my routine like I was in a play. Sitting down at the breakfast table before Neil was there. Trying to figure out what I would do - what I would feel when I saw him. 

Once I saw him all I felt were cracks. Cracks in my being, with the glue stopping me from falling apart suddenly gone. Cracks in my eyes, letting tears fall down my cheeks. And I tried to look up, stop the dam from exploding, but I couldn’t stop it. And the next thing I knew my head hit the floor, and he was above me, with a sick smile on his face like he knew the day had come.

“Say Congratulations!”

I slowed.

“Come on, you fucking faggot, say congratulations. I won, didn’t I?”

I froze.

“He’s fucking dead! Your little boyfriend is fucking dead. And I”m still here. Say congratulations!”

He screamed, and his boot dented my stomach, and then my shoulder, and then my thigh.

“SAY CONGRATULATIONS!”

He stomped on my stomach.  
“Con-congrat-gratulations” I coughed.

“Not good enough…” His voice was coloured with mockery.

“Congratulations, Sir.”

And just like that, the door slammed shut, and Max was holding me.

Third Person POV

Before Billie knew it he was back in the hospital. The wounds he had stitched up a couple of weeks ago had been reopned from the kicking - and the pain was as unbearable as ever.

The nurses at the local hospital had gotten to know Billy, always coming in for “getting in a fight” or “falling down the stairs”. They all suspected that something more was wrong, however. It is a hospitals responsibility to report abuse situations, but if they get it wrong the liability can be insurmountable, so any report has to be concrete. And Billy’s case was as hard as jello. His reputation would support a counter-argument from a denying father, and he would just end up in the same household, only know with a bigger, angrier threat on his hands. Besides, Billy had trained himself to know what excuses to give to people, all part of keeping up the show. If Neil had kicked him he would say it was a fight. If Neil had burned him he would say it was a cooking accident. It was all the excuse, and Billy - though he lacked grades in the school - had a shiny A* in excuses. 

 

“What you in for this time Billy?” Nurse Melinda questioned.

“Just another fight,” Billy said blankly - the words burning a now numb part of his tongue.

Max trailed behind Billy as they led him to the hospital bed, he gritted his teeth at the pain of the stitches but never said a word. Because ‘strong men don’t cry’. She stared at him in agony, wondering what the fuck her life had become when her mother married that asshole in California.


	4. Stiches

Steves POV

Dustin and the rest of the party - excluding Max - sat next to me as I got stitches across my brow bone. I had been walking and tripped over a rock of all things, earning myself a proud scar to add to my collection of Demogorgon attacks and punches from angry teenage boys. As I was rolling my eyes to the noise of Mike going on about D&D, I saw Max in the corner of my eye. She was walking across the hospital bed with two cups of water and a distressed look on her face.

“Hey, Lucas” I whispered, “Max is over there”.

“Wait really?” Lucas turned around to see Max disappear behind a curtain. Before Steve could say a word Lucas had run off to go say hi. He pulled back the curtain, and though Steve was quite far away he could make up the general conversation.

“Hey Max! What you doing here?”

“Oh I’m jus-”

“I got into a fight what the issue” I heard Billy interrupt.

“Why the hell do you have to drag Max along to help out with all your issues.”

“It’s fine Lucas”

“No it’s not, he’s an asshole. I thought this all would stop once you almost stabbed him in the dick, but turns out he's just an ass.”

“Lucas please.”

“Just stop putting up with him”. Billy had stopped talking after his explanation, but after Lucas left I heard him say something to Max about how she needs to stop treating him like a decent human being.

“Billy is a fucking dick - can’t even pull himself to the hospital after he provokes someone into a fight.”

“I’m sure it’s more complicated than that Lucas - Max and him have been going through a lot lately.”

“Why the hell are you defending him?” Dustin cut in.

“He beat your face blue” Mike added.

Knowing I couldn’t share what I had been told - I simply quoted and turned away, ignoring the pleas of my adolescent friends for more information.

 

After a while, the party left the hospital and I was on the way to check out when I realized Max was still sitting by the bed, reading a shitty comic book she had found in the waiting room.

“Hey Max”

“Oh - Hi steve.” The words seemed calm but tense - like I was intruding on a secret.

“What happened to Billy?” Who was asleep as the doctor continued to suture his leg cut.

“Oh, um. I don’t know how to say. I’m… A fight.” She said it almost like it was a question. Like she was asking me what was going on. It was just coming on 6:30 and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the clock.

“Why you keep looking at the clock kiddo?” I’m prying for information.

“Oh um - it’s dinner soon.”

“Do you want me to drive you home? I can come back and watch Billy.”

“NO.” She spoke like it was a crazy idea.

“Not without Billy.”

“Why not? What’s gonna happen”

Max muttered something under her breath but I couldn’t hear her.

“What?”

“Oh um, just that my parents might be a little upset if it’s only the three of us eating - they will want Billy there.”

“Oh.” … “Is there anything I can do?”

“Just go home, Steve.” As I walked out, I couldn’t help but get a feeling that something was wrong.


End file.
